Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1887-04-29

The TABERNACLE SERMON.
d. Talmage's Easter Theme 1.-THE Over
throw of the Monster"
Death Abolished by Being Swallowed Up II
victory-The Soul Does Not Wait fol
Funeral Obseguies or Obituaries. but
Goes Right to Heaven.
BRooKLYN, April 10.-To-day being
Easter Sunday the Tabernacle was pro-
fusely decorated with flowers. The pulpit,
the pillars, and the galleries were one great
garden of bloom. Prof. Browne, the or
ganist, and Prof. Ali, the cornetist rem
dered selections from Handel, Haydn,
and Beethoven, appropriate to the day
celebrated. The subject of DR.. Talmage's
discourse was "The Overthrow of the
Monster and his text, Isaiah, XIV. 8: He
will swallow up death in victory" DR..
Talmage said:
About 1858 Easter mornings have
awakened the earth. In France for three
centuries the almanacs made the year begin
at Easter, until Charles IN made the year
begin ct Jan. !. In the tower Of London
there is a royal pay roll of Edward I, on
which there is an entry of IL pence for 400
colored and pictured Easter eggs, with
which the people sported. In Russia
slaves were fed and aims were distributed
on Easter. Ecclesiastical councils met at
Pontus, at Gaul, at Rome, at Achala, to de-
eide the particular day, and after q contfo-
versy, more animated than gracious,
decided it, and now through all Christen-
dom, in some way the first Sunday after
the full moon which happens upon or next
after March 81 is filed with Easter rejoic-
ing.
The royal court of the Sabbaths is made
up of fifty-two. Fifty-one are princes in
the royal household, but Easter is queen.
She wears richer diadem and sways a more
jeweled scepter, and in her smile nations
are radiated. Unusually welcome this
year because of the harsh winter and the
late spring, she seems to step out of the
snew bank rather than the conservatory,
come out of the north instead of the south,
out of the Arctic rather than the tropics,
dismounting from the icy equinox; but
welcome this queenly day, holding high up
in her right hand the wrenched off bolt of
Christ's sepulcher and holding high up in
her left hand the key to all the cemeteries
in Christendom.
It is IN exciting thing to see an army
routed and flying. They run each other
down. They scatter everything valuable
in the track. Unwheeled artillery, hoof of
horse on breast of wounded and dying man.
You have read of the French falling back
from Sedan, or Napoleon's track of so, 200
corpses in the snow-banks of Russia, or of
the retreat Of cur own army from Manassas.
or of the five kings tumbling over the rocks
of Bethoran with their armies, while the
hail storms of heaven and the swords of
Joshua's host struck them with their fury.
In my text is a worse discontinue. It
seems that a black giant proposed to on
quer the earth. He gathered for his host
all the aches and pains and malarias and
cancers and distempers and epidemics of
the ages. He marched them down, drill
ing them in the northeast wind and amid
the slush of tempests. He threw up barri-
cades of grave mound. He pitched tent Of
charnel house. Some of the troops marched
with slow tread, commanded by consump-
tiens, some in double-quick, commanded
by pneumonias. Some he took by long be-
seigement Of evil habit, and some by one
stroke of the battleax of casualty. With
bony hand he pounded at the door of hos
pitfalls and sick rooms, and won all the vic
tories in all the great battletelds of all the
five continents. Forward march, the con-
queror OF %conquerors, and all the generals
and commanders-in- chief. and all presi-
dents and kings and sultans and cars drop
under the feet of his war charger. Butone
Christmas night his antagonist was born.
As most of the plaques and despotisms
come out of the east, it was appropriate
that the new c%onqueror should come out OF
the same quarter. Power is given Him to
awaken all the fallen of all the centuries
and of all lands, and marshal them against
the black giant. Fields have already been
Won, but the last day of the worlds exist
ence will see the decisive battle. When
the brigade of the risen dead and the bril-
gade of the celestial host, the black giant
will fall back, and the brigade from the
riven sepulchers will take him from be-
meath and the brigade of descending i'm
mortals will take him from above, and
death shall be swallowed up in victory.
The old braggart that threatened the
conquest and demolition of the planet has
lost his throne, has lost his scepter, has
lost his palace, has lost his prestige, and
the one word written over all the gates OF
mausoleum and catacomb and metropolis,
on cenotaph and sarcophagus, on the lonely
khan of the Arctic explorer, and on the
catafalque of great cathedral, written in
capitals of azalea and Gala lily, written in
musical cadence, written in doxology OF
great assemblages, written on the
sculptured door of the family vault, is
"victory." Coronal word, embannered
word. ap%ocalyptic word, chief word of the
triumphal arch under which ]onquerors re.
turn.
Victory! Word shouted at Culloden and
Balaklava and Blenheim, at Megiddo and
Solferino, at Narration, where the Athenians
drove back the Medes; at Poictiers, where
Charles Martel broke the ranks of the
Saracens; at Salamis, where Themistocles
in the great sea fight confounded the Per
SLAMS, and at the door of the eastern
cavern of chiselled rock, where Chris,
came out through a recess and throttled
the king of %terrors, and put him back in
the niche from which the celestial con-
queror had just emerged. Aha! when the
jaws of the eastern mausoleum took down
the black giant "death was swallowed IN
in victory" I proclaim the abolition OF
death.
The old antagonist is driven back into
mythology with all the lore about Stygiar
ferry and Charon with oar and boat. Mel
rose Abbey and Kenilworth Castle are nc
more in ruins than is the s%epulcher. We
shall have no more to do with death thar
we have with the cloakroom at a governors
0r nraSidanf's 1avoa Wa ctop ot orob oIo,1-